Bid to Stop Forced Drugging Fails

NewsMax.com ^ | May 16, 2002 | Carl Limbacher

[Pern]

The Eight Circuit Court of Appeals has refused a petition for a rehearing to overturn the forced drugging of Charles Sell, a St. Louis dentist charged with billing fraud.

Last week's 5-4 oral decision comes after a March 2002 ruling that found that a defendant can be forcibly drugged even though he has not been convicted of any charges or found to be a danger.

The petition was supported by Association of American Physicians and Surgeons and American Civil Liberties Union.

"The court's ruling is in obvious conflict to Supreme Court rulings," said AAPS attorney Andrew Schlafly. "The stunning breadth of the decision leaves few, if any, defendants free from the threat of being medicated against their will."

The majority opinion issued in March acknowledging that "the evidence does not support a finding that Sell posed a danger to himself or others" but still found that "charges of fraud" alone were "serious" enough to justify forced medication. Further, the court held that there were no limits on the quantity or type of drugs.

Sell, charged with Medicaid fraud, has been imprisoned for more than four years, including one-and-a-half years in solitary confinement, AAPS said. He has never been brought to trial.

[Pern]

...but still found that "charges of fraud" alone were "serious" enough to justify forced medication.

Holy Sh*t!!! Forced drugging for fraud. You would think they had more deserving criminals to be subjected to this. Not a white collar con.

Sell, charged with Medicaid fraud, has been imprisoned for more than four years,...He has never been brought to trial.

Wow. That's a scary situation.

[APBaer]

What is in the water in St. Louis?
They elect a dead man to the Senate and forcibly drug dentists.
Some judges should start pissing in a cup.

[freeeee]

Sell, charged with Medicaid fraud, has been imprisoned for more than four years, including one-and-a-half years in solitary confinement, AAPS said. He has never been brought to trial.

Amendment VI: "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial..."

[RJCogburn]

There must be more to this story.

Sell, charged with Medicaid fraud, has been imprisoned for more than four years, including one-and-a-half years in solitary confinement, AAPS said. He has never been brought to trial.

This isn't supposed to happen here.

[wafflehouse]

wow.. bump for later

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Holy Sh*t!!! Forced drugging for fraud.

No, forced drugging and incarceration for CHARGES of fraud. You can be charged with almost anything so parts of our country are no different from Cuba, China, Islamic countries, etc.

[ScreamingFist]

.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Am I missing something here in the story? If he hasn't been convicted of anything, is not a danger and hasn't had a trial despite being in prison for four years what is going on? Where is the major media on this? Unless there's more to it than we're being told, what's happening to this man is unacceptable. They better appeal it to the Supreme Court, the Eight Circuit doesn't seem to care much about Constitutional rights it appears.

[APBaer]

"parts of our country are no different from Cuba, China, Islamic countries, etc."

I agree, though unfortunately that's not "breaking news."